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Since when did innovation and skill become a characteristic of being young? What's the new age ceiling for when skill meets opportunity? Does this have anything

Since when did innovation and skill become a characteristic of being young? What's the new age ceiling for when skill meets opportunity? Does this have anything to do with adults working jobs that would have been occupied by minors just 20 years ago?

ecocentrik 12y ago
Youth culture has been responsible for social and cultural innovation (art, music, fashion...) for as long as they've had the extra leisure to devote to it. The growth of the merchant class, the growth of the middle class and the abolition of child labor all resulted in increased leisure for youth segments of society. Your second question must be missing some punctuation because I'm going to suggest you look into Yanni.
- ecocentrik 12y ago
  Why did I get down-voted? I answered the question and added a little humor. "Innovation" is not analogous to "invention". (Here's Alan Kay on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTAghAJcO1o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTAghAJcO1o) TLDW: Technological adoption follows patterns of consumption like fashion. When we talk about "innovation" we're really talking about technologies that succeed in the marketplace and were successfully adopted by society. Over the last decade we've seen major tech growth in two areas: mobile computing (computers as fashion accessories) and social networks. Both happen to be areas where youth culture has historically served a role as early adopters. If you're looking for historical perspective to figure out when 20 somethings were given the keys to the tech kingdom, it happened over the last decade when tech companies started using youth culture to drive consumption and "innovation". Why do we need companies full of 20 year olds? 1) Because 20 year olds develop products for other 20 year olds. Most of them don't have the experience, wisdom or maturity to do anything else and they are fundamentally still trying to please each other and define themselves as a generation. 2) 20 year olds have a ton of energy, health and are willing to work ridiculous hours on bad code for lower pay. 3) Making millionaires out of a few 20 somethings every year helps feed the fire.

ecocentrik 12y ago

Youth culture has been responsible for social and cultural innovation (art, music, fashion...) for as long as they've had the extra leisure to devote to it. The growth of the merchant class, the growth of the middle class and the abolition of child labor all resulted in increased leisure for youth segments of society. Your second question must be missing some punctuation because I'm going to suggest you look into Yanni.

ecocentrik 12y ago
Why did I get down-voted? I answered the question and added a little humor. "Innovation" is not analogous to "invention". (Here's Alan Kay on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTAghAJcO1o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTAghAJcO1o) TLDW: Technological adoption follows patterns of consumption like fashion. When we talk about "innovation" we're really talking about technologies that succeed in the marketplace and were successfully adopted by society. Over the last decade we've seen major tech growth in two areas: mobile computing (computers as fashion accessories) and social networks. Both happen to be areas where youth culture has historically served a role as early adopters. If you're looking for historical perspective to figure out when 20 somethings were given the keys to the tech kingdom, it happened over the last decade when tech companies started using youth culture to drive consumption and "innovation". Why do we need companies full of 20 year olds? 1) Because 20 year olds develop products for other 20 year olds. Most of them don't have the experience, wisdom or maturity to do anything else and they are fundamentally still trying to please each other and define themselves as a generation. 2) 20 year olds have a ton of energy, health and are willing to work ridiculous hours on bad code for lower pay. 3) Making millionaires out of a few 20 somethings every year helps feed the fire.